About Us

Our mission is to make Sea Kayaking & Paddleboarding accessible recreational activities for all levels of paddlers through innovative instruction & training programs with safety and enjoyment at the heart of everything we do.

The Blue Dog team are all experienced paddlers and coaches, who work to understand your needs and commit to getting it right. As a small business we strive to offer an individualized service to you, our customer and our friends. Our goal is to ensure that you will feel comfortable, confident and safe on the water while being able to push your limits, build confidence and go exploring these phenomenal places we call our backyard.

The Technical Stuff

Blue Dog Kayaking has two paddling centers located at Mill Bay and Port Sidney Marinas, here we offer guided tours for kayakers and paddle boarders (SUP) plus instruction and lessons. The intermediate and advanced sea kayak training takes place on the majestic West Coast of Vancouver Island, and a bit on the East Coast.

We are also a Nigel Denis Kayak (NDK) Expedition Center, and the Canadian Dealers. We have found that the right equipment is essential in delivering confidence and safety on the water. We are also retailers of Kōkatat, Lendal North America, Celtic Paddles, Gearlab Outdoors, Level Six, Whetman Equipment and Astral (just to name a few). We can get you sorted with whatever you need, not to mention let you demo most of those products to make sure you are buying something that works for you.

Learn with Us

We offer the full range of Paddle Canada of courses for the beginner to advanced paddler. Our intro courses (Paddle Canada accredited) take places weekly at both our locations. Not to mention we also run the Paddle Canada L2 program out of our Port Sidney Location. However, most of our other L2/L3 programming is offered as multi-day expeditions on the West Coast.

New for 2023, we have decided to offer guide training! Our team has grown, and in that process we have added the ever talented Jeremy Benninger who is an exceptional paddler, and guide trainer. With years of experience under his belt, and many personal expeditions he makes the perfect guide trainer, with a focus on practical learning and relevant skills our programs will accompanied by a Paddle Canada certification that will allow guides to extend their season with instruction work, this means that your instructor team will be Jeremy and Amber Champion. Successfully candidates will walk away with an Association of Canadian Sea Kayak Guides certificate and a Paddle Canada Certificate.

Outside of our certification courses we also run instructional expeditions. These trips are unique, as we combine the adventure of a kayak expedition to various unspoiled locations such as Clayoquot, Broken Group, Nuchatlitz, Kyuquot or Great Slave Lake & combine the opportunity to learn, and focus on the skills one needs to do these trips without us. Our team is extremely passionate about paddling, and will work as hard as we can to give you the results you need and want.